Ingredients
Vanilla Wafer Crust
1 1/2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs
1 stick (4 oz) butter, melted and browned
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 cup cashew praline, chopped finely (recipe follows)
Caramelized Banana Cheesecake Filling
3 packages of cream cheese, 8 oz each (total of 24 oz) room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon vanilla extract (or the innards of 1 plump vanilla bean)
1 tablespoon banana liqueur, optional – I didn’t use any, just giving you an option to enhance the banana flavor
Caramelized bananas
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon corn syrup
2 to 3 bananas, cut into chunks
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Salted Cashew Praline
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon corn syrup
1 cup salted cashews, toasted
Toasted, Salted Cashew Praline-Vanilla Wafer Crust
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Combine vanilla wafer crumbs, cashew praline, and light brown sugar in a food processor with a few light pulses.
- Drizzle in melted brown butter and vanilla extract as you’re pulsing, until crust holds together slightly when squeezed.
- Press the crust on the bottom and up the side of a lightly buttered 9-inch springform pan, using the bottom and side of a small glass to really pack it in.
- Place in preheated oven and bake for 5 – 7 minutes.
- Remove and let cool.
- Do not turn oven off, keep it at 350F for baking the cheesecake.
Caramelized Banana Cheesecake Filling
- Combine cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand-mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand-mixer) and cream together until smooth.
- Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next.
- Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg.
- Add sour cream, heavy cream, vanilla, lemon juice, and liqeuer (if using) and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Gently fold in caramelized bananas.
- Wrap outside of springform pan, from the bottom up, in tin foil (this prevents water from seeping into the pan).
- Pour batter into prepared crust and tap the pan on the counter a few times to bring all air bubbles to the surface.
- Place pan into a larger pan and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan.
- Bake 70 minutes, until it is almost done – but jiggly in the center.
- Turn off the oven and let the cheesecake finish baking in the cooling oven for one hour.
- This prevents cracks in the cheesecake.
- After one hour is up, remove the cheesecake from oven and lift carefully out of water bath.
- Let it finish cooling on the counter, and then cover and put in the fridge to chill for several hours to overnight.
- Once fully chilled, it is ready to serve.
- Serve with your favorite caramel sauce, toffee bits, whipped cream, bruleed banana slices*..or just enjoy as is :).
* To make bruleed banana slices..cut a banana into slices, any way you want. Sprinkle the cut sides, generously, with granulated sugar, and caramelize with a kitchen torch, or place on a lined sheet pan under the broiler, keeping a close eye on them so they don’t burn.
Caramelized Bananas
- Heat a large heavy saute pan over medium heat, until hot, but not smoking.
- Sprinkle sugar around the pan and drizzle with corn syrup.
- Cook, without stirring, just gently shaking the pan if some areas are turning color quicker than other areas, until whole mixture turns a golden amber color, about 6-8 minutes.
- Stir in butter until smooth (caramel will sizzle), then add chopped bananas and cook until they’re caramelized but still slightly firm, about 4 -5 minutes.
- Pour into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap so the caramel doesn’t dry out, until cool and ready to fold into cheesecake batter.
Salted Cashew Praline
- Heat a large heavy saute pan over medium heat, until hot, but not smoking. Sprinkle sugar around the pan and drizzle with corn syrup.
- Cook, without stirring, just gently shaking the pan if some areas are turning color quicker than other areas, until whole mixture turns a golden amber color, about 8 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and add cashews; stir until they’re completely coated.
- Cool on parchment lined pan.
- Store in an airtight container. Yield: about 1 1/3 cups cashew praline.